1. Entertains and Educates…Both the Kids and the Adults! Both books rhyme, are fun to look at and teach valuable lessons. Thank You, Bugs! is aimed at a toddlers and pre-schoolers so the message is simple: bugs’ importance for their services (should!) outweigh their “icky” factor.

Mason Meets a Mason Bee also a picture storybook, but there multiple layers of messages that adults will find interesting too; importance of pollinators, surprising facts about mason bees, general characteristics of native bees, overview of what pollination is, how to attract and support pollinators, why dandelions are helpful to mason bees, importance of native plants (v. cultivars), the implications of using chemicals…

2. Additional Info, Resources, Lessons and Extension Activities. The author hopes her books are a springboard for more learning. The additional information saves caregivers and teachers the trouble of searching for more in-depth material.

3. Strengthen Emotional Intelligence. The characters’ facial expressions support recognizing different emotions that coincide with facial expressions–especially helpful for children with autism and other atypical recognition challenges.

4. The Topic is Timely. It’s all over the news. Pollinators are in peril and are suffering unsustainable losses. Pollinating insects support our lives with crop pollination and even cotton production. Maybe it’s time to return the favor and take a little time to learn about their needs and how we can help them out.

5. The Author is Available to Do Story Times (or Talks with Grown-Ups). Either in person or via Skype, the author is a strong and personable public speaker.

THE Gardening Book: A Lawn Chair Gardener’s Guide to a Balanced Life and World

1. Focus on Functional Gardens. Fleeting are the days that a landscape plant’s only job is to look pretty. Move over “Kardashian-plants,” make space for plants that give back to the world by protecting and conserving water, providing food for people and/or wildlife or even habitat.

2. Concise How-To Guide. There is no shortage of gardening guides, however, most guides are daunting to beginners and folks interested in trying a new style of gardening. A Lawn Chair Gardener’s Guide boils down 15 years of Master Gardening volunteer experience and countless guides to everything you need to know to have a successful garden.

3. A Fun Guide. It may seem like a contradiction, but this is a fun and accessible guide written in a conversational tone. Even though the beginning section covers serious environmental issues that support why functional “lawn chair gardening” make sense, the book is balanced with humor and levity that make it fun.

4. Expert at Your Service. If readers have questions, the Lawn Chair Gardener has answers. (If she doesn’t know, she knows who would know.) Readers are invited to ask questions and give input directly to the author. The author personally responds to all inquiries and is available to speak to clubs and conferences.

5. Companion Planting Garden Plan Included. Creating a garden plan using companion planting techniques is like putting together a puzzle without the benefit of looking at the picture on the front of the box. Check that task off the reader’s to-do list-a planting plan is included.

6. 40 Go-To “Arm Chair” Recipes Included. Remember, the author wrote this book while she had an infant and a two-year old and her children’s books when her kids were two and five. Translation: she knows how to get a lot done. Feeding her family healthy and tasty meals is a priority. With this book, you get simple recipes, a shopping list template and a meal plan template.

7. Information on How To Freeze the Bounty. It’s not rocket science, but there are a few things to know to keep botulism at bay-and, of course, not waste your gardening efforts by letting food go to waste.